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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. lean — thin
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. ground — crushed
  5. suit — clothes
  6. object — to protest
  7. suit — in cards
  8. lean — to bend
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. cold — not warm
  11. wind — moving air
  12. ground — the earth
  13. can — to be able to
  14. suit — to fit
  15. ground — a position
  16. cold — an illness
  17. can — a tin
  18. stock — shares
  19. can — a tin
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. object — an aim
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. wind — moving air
  24. stock — goods

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com